Baltimore City is spending almost $6 million a year to make sure homeless students get to school.

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The money is paid to a half a dozen taxi cab companies now under contract to make sure students get to and from school.

The number of Baltimore City homeless students who need a way to school has more than doubled over the past few years. It's not unusual to see homeless students dropped off to school in a taxi cab, even if they live outside of Baltimore City.

"It's the means by the way we have to get things done, and we're actually obligated under federal law," said Neil Duke, the chairman of the Baltimore City School Board.

The city school board just voted to pay out an extra $1.2 million to taxi cab companies to make sure students stay in their home school.

"A lot of those students actually reside in counties, as opposed to Baltimore City, so that also exacerbates the cost associated with commuting these students back into Baltimore City, some who are living in Baltimore County and Harford County," Duke said.

In part, that's what driving up the cost and the numbers keep going up.

"Just in the month of May alone, we had 172 requests for transportation for children who are homeless and who live in Baltimore County," City Schools COO Keith Scroggins said.

And it all comes back to where children end up staying during the course of a school year.

"We're very happy to be able to provide that service. Obviously, their lives are disrupted enough with being homeless that to be able to get them back to where their friends are, their teachers are and familiar surroundings is the least we can do," said Dwight Kines, with Veolia Transportation.

The challenge school officials face over the summer is how to prepare for what is expected to be a new list of homeless students looking for a ride to class.